The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-01-05
A REMARKABLE POEM.
BUCHANAN READS SHERIDAN'S
RiDE"-AOW IT WAS WRITTEN.

Effect Which it Had-James T.. Muir
dock. the Elorutionist - The Poet
Painter and His Picture.
In that remarkable poem, with which we
are all femiiar, Buchanan Read describes
Sheridan riding down the lines with "A
terrible oath, which soul stirring as
tn bring the ,lemoralized and scattered sol
diers to ii realizing sense OF the responsibility
Of the occasion and to turn them from sheep
To men. THE general does not recollect ex-
actly what me did say, but has no doubt that
be used language appropriate to the circum-
stances and meant precisely what he said.
On some other occasions during the war he
found the ordinary vocabulary of converse
ton ina4lequate to his thoughts, and made
use of language that could not be misunder-
stood, but the yarns about his profanity,
which were 80 widely quoted at the time,
have caused him much annoyance.
The impression that his tongue a mint
that was constantly coming imprecations OF
. unique and awful pattern was quite
general, ami it griev we'd the hearts of a great
many good people that a man they had
learned to admire and love should tarnish his
otherwise brilliant reputation by the use Of
blasphemy. Many of them wrote him to ex-
press their regret The letters came from
clergy men and mothers of boys, who gently
vicious habit, not only for the sake Of his
own soul but for the benefit of their sons,
who admired him much and were inclined
to initiate even the vices of a great soldier.
1t is due to Gen. Sheridan that this false
impression should he corrected for he is not
habitually profane and never swears except
upon rare occasions of extraordinary provo
cation. Then he does not use the vulgar
blasphemy of the barroom but coins phrases
Of tr,ti
produce an instantaneous effect and a lasting
impression. His words fall like pile driver
He does not use them for the sake of swear
ing nor from the force of habit, and never
utters the same oath twice, but to emphasize
his language and to supply a force which the
poverty of his native tongue lacks.
On some supreme occasion, at great crisis
emergency. when the souls of his men
were to be aroused, the ordinary objective
would strike the soldier with no more force
than falling leaf. and the phrases of the
drawing room would not reach their
ears. So much is true of Sheridan, that at
such times his tongue would frame Il sermon
in a single sentence that never failed to AZ
rest panic and inspire with courage men
who would have been deaf to the ordinary
tone and manner OF remonstrance or COM
mand
The retreat at Winchester was one of these
occasions. A member of his staff, Gen.
George A. Forsythe, or SANDY" as he was
better known, who rode the famous twenty
miles by Sheridan's si,ie but did not get into
the immortal poem, may he considered pretty
good authority He told me that when the
general met the first group of stragglers, i'm
full retreat, and was informed by them that
the enemy hal captured his camp during his
absence he turned white with rage and
modification, and exclaimed i'm tone that
was not TO lie misunderstood
Boys those OF you who are not towards
follow me, for I'll sleep i'm that camp to- night
or I'll sleep III hell"
That was the terrible oath" the author of
asher ilan's Ride" referred to, and il had the
effect that intended The soldiers knew
that Little PHIL was rightfully in earnest
aud there wasn't man in ell the shattered
army who wouldn't share his bed.
| asked tsen. Sheridan the other day il he
knew the author of the poem
"Yes," he replied, Il knew him well first
met Mr. Read at the headquarters of Gem
Rosecrans, just before the battle of Stone
River He was guest of the general and re-
manned i'm camp quite a while, 50 we all got
to know him"
DO you know how he came to write the
poems'
YES" said the general, Il have heard him
tell about it several times. There have been
n number of stories published about the origin
of the poem, but will tell you the true one,
Just rs Mr.. Read told it to ME. Did you
know that james Z. Murdoch suggested the
idea
"Murdock, the elocutionistI'
The very man. He was an actor at one of
the Cincinnati theatres ut the time, where
had known him. Murdoch has always been
u great friend of mine, and l am glad to
know the OLD man kpppS well I that
he able to appear at the memorial SER
vices in honor of Chief Justice Chase the
other day. He lost a son at the battle of
Missionary Ridge-Murdock did. The boy
was in my command, and the old man came
down To get the body, don't you knowt The
enemy occupied the place where the boy was
buriesi, and Mr.. Murdoch remained "a guest
ut my headquarters until we recovered the
ground He used to ride the lines with me
every day. and always used my black horse,
.Rienzi'-the that afterwards called
Winchester, and the same that l had under
me ON that twenty mile canrer. No man ever
stra,l,lle,i better animal, and old Murdoch
became very fond OF him He WAS a horse
chat il was an honor To mount, you see, and
in that poem Read gave him good send of.
We'll, things very exciting down
around Chattanooga those days, and Mr..
Muriock y good deal Of war. On Sun
troops around headquarters, and there was
one of Brownings that the boys never missed
chance to call for. 1t was great favorite
with me, don't you know, just as it was with
the soldiers, and we never let the old man of
without reading it. Ii was the story of the
ride from Ghent to Aix-you remember it!
Well YOU sec, after the battle of Cedar
Greek there was published in Harper's Weekly
story of my ride from Winchester, and q
picture of me on the back of old Rienzi.
Nur,iock had agreed to recits q poem at the
sanitary fair that was being held at Cincinnati
mt that tine and Read had promised to write
something new and appropriate for him.
But when Murdoch called on him for the
manuscript the afternoon he was to recite he
hadn't touched a pen to paper-said be didn,
know what To write about Well, Murdoch
had lust seen a man who was in the battle
and was full Of the story, being friend Of
mine YOU See SO he pulled the copy ol